The Greylands.

The miles ahead stretched out before them in one grey expanse: nothing to see, nothing to hear. And little by little, they made their way through the wasteland, upheaving tufts of dust as they sauntered their pace down to a walk.

"There's nothing here. There's no one around. Its just. Dust." The Konoha ninja cringed a little; hearing the his voice ring so loud against the barren lands made him half-expect it to echo back. It didn't. He looked to his captain.

"…I don't know." The captain breathed.

"…"

"Our source led us here—so it could be hidden anywhere in this place."

"If there happened to be anywhere to hide it, that is." The first nin said lightly, motioning forward, then all around him as he realised there wasn't much of a difference. "Sharingan?"

The captain walked passed him, pulling the ornate, white ANBU mask off to scan the dust with one eye. "No genjustsu."

"Ok, er, Taichou," He called out, a little quieter, " it could literally be anywhere"

The captain didn't turn back. "Its underground. Well, don't stare at my back. You're the earth type ninja. Use your chakra to extend through the earth. We need to find that scroll, and preferably before my plant dies of thirst."

"You mean Mr Ukki's on the line? Aye aye, Senpai," the first nin replied quaintly, his voice a pitch too high. He walked up to where he was sure the captain could see him, and waved a hand in a mocking salute. The Konoha nin hastened, taking a deep breath, and stamped his palms into the grounds. A flow of chakra flooded the dirt.

"Tenzo."

"Hai, Taichou?" Tenzo tried his best to sound a little bored, but he faltered little when he turned to see the captain. Something wasn't like before. He… used my real name?

"…Kakashi?" He answered tentatively.

Mere seconds had passed, and the lackluster-ness of their methodical trek up the grey expanse was gone. Tenzo stiffened, watching his senpai's mismatched eyes flit glaringly from one identical-looking place to another. He hadn't covered up his sharingan, and he was wandering around aimlessly, a little less than confused— eyes blaring at something he couldn't see. The thin material of the mask was stretched a little bit tighter.

"Kakashi-senpai!?"

He stopped. His breath became the loudest sound for miles.

Tenzo could've sworn they'd be jumped by two dozen enemies, but amongst the windless wasteland, they were definitely alone.

"…Sorry, Tenzo. Just—hurry up and find whatever we're looking for"

"Senpai. What the hell's up?"

The red eye turned to him with a tiredness. "…It's this place. I know this place. I fought here, during the last war."

The last war. Three words. But they carried a death toll; a hell that spat out the infamous copy-nin Kakashi. Tenzo sifted his sight through the dust again, trying to see what Kakashi had seen here, what he had being remembering. The years had dulled the landscape, and now it was barren, deserted. Tenzo said nothing, not sure what to say to the captain. If he was supposed to say something to him. What was he supposed to do with the information that there were probably hundreds of men laid beneath his feet?

"It's nothing. Heh heh. Caught me up in nostalgia. I killed someone here. Someone important," he said heavily, as if he had to hear it himself. Kakashi hovered up his arm as if to motion to exactly where, but thought better of it.

"Forget it. That's an order. Let's just find that scroll."

"Understood. Senpai."

But that panicked face swam around his head, and Tenzo found himself looking back in the direction Kakashi was about to point to. It looked as grey as everything else, a few stones littered at random. Here and there, the earth was uneven, he noticed. The depressions of craters were rounded off: perhaps the remains of battle damage? Too much time had passed to know. If he hadn't been told, he wouldn't have guessed.

Suddenly, his chakra flared through the grounds, and the shape of a scroll was indeed buried near. Tenzo dug up the scroll, and dashed off towards the captain.

"Got it."

"Good work. Let's go."

"Senpai."

"Huh?

"…The war ended a long time ago."

"…"

"And it was a war. Many people died. Too many people caused the dying. And it certainly wasn't you."

He stiffened at the almost-slip-up he made, 'and it certainly wasn't just you.'

Kakashi sighed, squeezing the scroll in his fist. He looked pale.

"C'mon, Tenzo."

"Hai, senpai."

Notes

This was from Tenzo, later known as Yamato's, point of view. It's canon that Kakashi has a plant called 'Mr Ukki,' also the name of the plant that Kishimoto himself had once.

Sorry it's a bit vague- unbeknownst to him, Kakashi returns to the place where Rin died.

I think I might post something new here sometimes...

What do you think?

-earl